Developing Tank vs FileMaker Pro

FileMaker Pro databases became a standard for VFX tracking in scripted television because they could hold a lot of structured show data in a way spreadsheets couldn't. An experienced assistant editor could build out a codebook, add custom layouts, and share it across a small team - if everyone had a FileMaker license.

That's where the friction starts. FileMaker Pro currently runs a few hundred dollars for a new license, and sharing a multi-user database requires spending more money on FileMaker Server on top of that. When something breaks mid-production - a formula, a script trigger, a layout that stops rendering correctly - you're diagnosing FileMaker logic under deadline instead of cutting.

Developing Tank reads the sequence files your team already produces (AVB, AAF, EDL) and detects VFX shots automatically from marker data. There's no codebook to rebuild. You define your marker rules once per project and the system applies them to every cut. When the editor recuts and shots change or disappear, change detection flags them instead of silently overwriting the tracker.

Outputs - EDL, AVB, CSV, PDF - are generated from the same workflow, so a vendor turnover package doesn't require a separate manual pull pass. Google Sheets sync keeps departments that still want a spreadsheet in sync without maintaining two separate records.

If your team is already running FileMaker and it's working, there's no urgent reason to switch mid-show. If you're starting fresh, onboarding a show where no one wants to deal with licensing, or tired of rebuilding the same database every project, Developing Tank is worth a trial before committing to another rebuild.